Rep. Phil Gingrey Whines: "I'm Stuck Here Making $172,000 a Year"

GOP Rep Whines That He's "Stuck Here Making $172,000 a Year"

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 14: House Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee member Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) (C) listens to testimony during a hearing about the the Obama Administration's roll in the Solyndra loan guarantee at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill October 14, 2011 in Washington, DC.

Capitol Hill aides, he said “may be 33 years old now and not making a lot of money. But in a few years they can just go to K Street,” the Washington, D.C., vernacular for becoming a lobbyist, “and make 500,000 a year. Meanwhile I’m stuck here making $172,000 a year.”

Back in the real world, of course, there's nothing stopping Gingrey from retiring and cashing in. Meanwhile last year the median household income in the United States was $51,017 a year. And that's for a household. Gingrey's wife has her own earning potential. What's more, Gingrey is currently eligible for a full pension alongside his Social Security benefits any time he chooses to step down.

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There's a decent case that congressional pay ought to be raised (to reduce incentives to drop out and cash in), but objective economic hardship among members of congress is not part of that case.